Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-held ionizing radiation detector that has an alerting feature having an alerting frequency that is relative to the amount of ionization radiation detected.
Background
The public is becoming increasing aware of potential radiation hazards including radiation contamination of food and household items as well as the threat of radon gas in their homes or workplace. Nuclear disasters, such as the Fukushima disaster in Japan, has made the public concerned about contamination of food products, such as produce. Furthermore, there are threats of “dirty bombs” that can produce radiation over a broad area and the public may want to be assured that they have evacuated to a safe location, free of radiation.
While there may be radiation detectors available, they are typically very expensive, not configured to be hand held and not configured for public use. Most radiation detectors are configured for higher energy type radiation, such as gamma and beta radiation, and are not configured to be sensitive to the type of radiation that most people in the public might encounter, such as alpha radiation.
There is a need for a hand-held ionizing radiation detector that is low cost, simple to operate, and discreet, whereby the alerting feature does not draw attention to the detector.